A Tribe Called Red’s Bear Witness is curating the Music Gallery’s 13th annual X Avant festival.

From October 11-14, the experimental music institution will feature acts like Texas Cumbia artist El Dusty, local electronic producer Ziibiwan, hip-hop group Above Top Secret and dub poet Lillian Allen, among others.

This year’s theme is inspired by the Halluci Nation concept from A Tribe Called Red’s 2016 We Are The Halluci Nation album, building a coherent sensibility from diverse inspirations and challenging narrow conceptions of Canadian music.

“It is a future history given to inform the past,” says Bear Witness of the concept. “It is a rallying cry to all nations. We need to learn from things almost forgotten. We need to learn what it is to be human again and how to treat others as human.”

In addition to curating, Bear Witness will be collaborating with Edmonton breakdancing DJ Creeasian and later with A Tribe Called Red in a late-night DJ set.

Other confirmed acts include Inuit electronic beatmaker Geronimo Inutiq, Toronto’s Latinx “park-bench philosophers” Los Poetas, Arabic hip-hop artist Narcy and Indigenous American artist Jennifer Kreisberg who were both featured on the Halluci Nation album. Additionally, Peruvian abstract turntablist Maria Chavez will be performing in Toronto for the first time in eight years.

Check out the full lineup below:

October 11/18

Tasman Richardson + See Monsters + Creeasian with Bear Witness

Doors: 7:30PM/Concert 8PM

$18 Regular/$13 Advance/$10 Students, Music Gallery Members

October 12/18

Maria Chavez + Geronimo Inutiq + respectfulchild

Doors: 7:30PM/Concert 8PM

$18 Regular/$13 Advance/$10 Students, Members

October 13/18

Sampler Café with Creeasian

2PM

Free

October 13/18 at 918 Bathurst

Los Poetas + Above Top Secret + Ziibiwan

Doors: 7:30PM/Concert 8PM

$15 Regular/$13 Advance/$10 Students, Members

October 13/18 late night at the Mod Club co-presented by Futuro Libre

El Dusty + Dre Ngozi + Nino Brown + A Tribe Called Red DJ set

$30 Regular/$25 Advance/$20 Students, Music Gallery Members

October 14/18

Panel Discussion: Building the Halluci Nation

6PM

Free

The artists represented in the festival discuss what the Halluci Nation means to them, and how it represents potential for positive social change. Moderated by Narcy.

October 14/18

Narcy + Jennifer Kreisberg + Lillian Allen

Doors: 7:30PM/Concert 8PM

$18 Regular/$13 Advance/$10 Students, Members

918 Bathurst Main Hall and the Mod Club visual design will be provided by Jacqueline Levitt aka Jax A Muse.